Welcome to the latest installment of the Streetcar Monthly Pass. If you’ve already purchased a pass, thank you! If you haven’t, you should check out this page to learn how it works. Below you’ll find some information about each of this month’s six Monthly Pass selections. On to the wines!

2017 Domaine Haute Fevrie “Clos de la Fevrie”
appellation: Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur Lie (Loire), France
varieties: melon de bourgogne
 
The Domaine "la Haute ‎Févrie" lies 18 km south-east of ‎Nantes, right in the middle of the ‎Muscadet Sèvre et Maine appellation. The estate vines grow on ‎the hills overlooking the Sèvre, ‎between Saint-Fiacre and Monnières. ‎ The 30-hectare estate is broken into several plots, each with a different aspect and on ‎different soil: siliceous clay or gravelly and shallow, all on metamorphic rock, resulting in a range of highly individual “clos”. The vines are managed with environmentally friendly principles, with no chemical fertilizers, and yield control and grape picking entirely by hand. "Clos de la Fevrie" comes from some of the oldest vines on the estate, some approaching 100 years of age. The wine sits on the lees for about a year before bottling for richness and added complexity. This is a classic Loire white to pair with the freshest possible seafood, raw, steamed, fried, or grilled.

2018 Folias de Baco Uivo Moscatel Galego
appellation: Douro
variety: moscatel galego branco

Tiago Sampaio is the innovative young winemaker of Folias de Baco, a project started in 2007 after years of agricultural studies in Portugal and Oregon. Specifically located in the Alto Douro, in the sub-region of Cima-Corgo – where the land is rough, tough and challenging – you will find his vines clinging to the slopes of schist and granite at an altitude between 500-700m. Tiago is essentially bridging the traditions of his homeland with learned modern aesthetics, creating field blends of both red, white and mixed from indigenous varietals planted some 80 years ago. This aromatic stunner is made entirely of moscatel galego branco, the Portuguese name for muscat a petits grains, the most elegant member of the muscat family. A glass of this wine is like a walk through the Arboretum in late spring. Enjoy as an apèritif or let its flowery charms infuse a light summer meal of tinned seafood and salad.

2017 Domaine Augis Valençay
appellation: Vin de France (Beaujolais)
variety: gamay

Domaine les Capreoles is the new name for an old estate in the commune of Regnie-Durette in the middle of Beaujolais. The word “Capréoles” comes from the Old French and means vine tendrils. Owners Cédric and Catherine Lecareux chose this name for all it symbolizes: the reference to history and tradition, the natural support allowing vertical growth of the vine, but also the idea of the relationship they want to establish with those who appreciate their work. Their rosé is named after the ladybirds their daughter Margot loved finding in the vineyards on the eve of their first harvest in 2014.

2017 Ca’ del Baio “Lodoli”
appellation: Dolcetto d'Alba (Piedmont), Italy
variety: dolcetto

The story of the Grasso family of Ca' del Baio echoes the story of Barbaresco: from a humble agrarian lifestyle toward the end of the 19th century, to the advent of commercial viticulture in the early 20th century, to DOC status for Barbaresco in 1966, to the area's rise to international acclaim in the late 20th century. The Grasso family still maintains the spirit of the farmer, even as Giulio Grasso was awarded "Viticulturist of the Year" by Gambero Rosso a few years ago. Their Dolcetto may be the best reminder of this sentiment, as in their words, it "enscapsulates the simple pleasures of every day life". Try it with pasta, roast chicken, or cured meats and mountain cheeses.

 

2013 Menhir Salice Salentino Riserva
appellation: Salice Salentino, Italy
varieties: negroamaro, malvasia nero

Cantine Menhir is an organic farm and winery in the town of Minervino di Lecce, just a couple miles off the coast of southeastern Puglia. Winemaker Gaetano Marangelli took over property in 2005 and inherited vines as old as 80 years. In addition to viticulture, Marangelli manages the farm that supplies produce to the restaurant on his property. This red is a blend the powerful and deeply hued negroamaro and the light, aromatic malvasia nero that spends a couple years maturing in and out of barrels to achieve its polished texture. Salice Salentino is a great pair for barbecue, as its fruity richness marries beautifully with smoky, meaty flavors. 

2015 Mary Taylor Douro Tinto
appellation: Douro, Portugal
varieties: touriga nacional, tinta roriz, touriga franca

Mary Taylor is a Burgundy-based wine professional originally from Concord, Massachusetts. She has assembled a small portfolio of mostly French wines in collaboration with quality-minded winemakers and cooperatives, each with the goal of introducing the drinker to a true representation of the wine's place of origin. This is her lone effort in Portugal, a red blend of three native northern Portuguese varieties unencumbered by oak barrels or excessive manipulation. A simple table red that would happily pair with grilled chicken or steak.